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Sustained Enrolment in French Immersion in New Westminster!
Press Release
Released: March 6, 2006
New Westminster, BC: BC has once again smashed enrolment records for French immersion with 38,009 students enrolled
in early and late programs in public schools across the province. Statistics for the 2005-2006 school year, released in February 2006,
reveal the new record represents the largest increase in French immersion numbers in two decades.
This is the sixth consecutive year of record-breaking growth in enrolment in this unique program of choice in the public school
system. Parents recognize the benefits of second language learning and are demanding that their children have access to French programs.
"With studies consistently demonstrating the range of cognitive benefits accruing to children who pursue second-language
learning, and parents determined that their children be well prepared for an increasingly mobile and globalized economy, CPF
anticipates that demand will continue to increase", noted Sharon Taylor, president of Canadian Parents for French - BC &
Yukon Branch. "We are projecting an increase to 43,000 students by 2010, and that may in fact be a conservative estimate."
New Westminster currently has 624 students enrolled in the Early and Late French Immersion Programs. EFI started in September
2003 with one class at each of two schools, Herbert Spencer and Tweedsmuir Elementary. This year, the demand has increased so much
that parents are hoping that a third Kindergarten class will open in September to accommodate children on the growing waitlist.
French Immersion is the only program of choice that receives additional federal funding. By opening new spaces at the Kindergarten
level, the district would be eligible for more of that funding to ensure the viability of the program right through until Grade 12.
Canadian Parents for French is a national non-governmental, parent-led organization promoting French-language educational and
cultural learning opportunities for youth.
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For more information, please contact Rita Parikh, Executive Director, CPF-BC
& Yukon Branch
phone: 250-595-0138
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The information on this page was late updated: March 29, 2006.
This page was last modified March 29, 2006.
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